Automatically adjusting razor



Aug. 16, 1938. h. L. BUELL 2,126,723

L AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTING. RAZOR J Filed March 15, 1933 iMW-QW'M V Patented Aug. 16.1938

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTING RAZOR Charles L. Buell, Xenia, Ohio, assignor to John W. Anderson, Gary, Ind.

Application March 15, 1933, Serial No. 660,883

Claims.

This invention relates to razors of the safety type. and more particularly to a construction whereby the head of the razor is enabled to automatically adjust itself to the most advantageous cutting position inclined to the line of draft.

For the purpose of illustration, but without desire to unduly limit the application or scope of the invention, it has been illustrated applied to a-well known form of razor wherein a thin flexible wafer style blade is clamped under flexing tension between cap and guard members by adjustment of the razor handle which is screw threaded upon a stud projecting from the cap or clamp plate. It will be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to this specific type of construction, but may be applied to various other forms of safety" razors of which there are numerous styles now available.

In the embodiment of the invention, as here illustrated, the head of the razor is revolubly mounted for free rotation about the axis of the handle, in which adjusting movement it may be controlled by contact of the operators finger tip with a knob or terminal extension at the end of the handle connected to and rotating with the revoluble head. The cap or clamp plate of the head is corrugated at an angle to the cutting edge of the blade whereby the frictional resistance in drawing the razor over the face will tend to align such corrugations with the line of draft and so present the cutting edge at such angle thereto as to effect a draw out or searing action. Inasmuch as the cutting angle most desirable while shaving one side of ones face is quite contrary to the angle most effective when shaving the opposite side, the directional corrugations are arranged in two reversely disposed series adjacent the opposite margins of the convex cap or clamp plate,

till.

and the customary marginal teeth of the guard plate are extended in like directions.

The automatic adjustment of the razor head to proper inclined relation to the line of draft may be effected not alone by the tracking effect of the inclined corrugations, but may be otherwise achieved by varying the frictional resistance throughout the length of the head of the instrument whereby one extremity of the blade will be retarded to greater extent than the other thereby causing it to assume the desired angular relation.

The object of the invention is to simplify the construction as well as the means and mode of operation of safety razors, whereby they will not only be cheap in construction, but will be automatically adjustable to the most advantageous cutting position, have but few parts, and unlikely to get out of repair.

A further object of the invention is to provide a safety razor, the head of which is revolubly connected to the handle for free rotation relative thereto and yieldingly responsive to variations of resistance and pressure.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for automatically inducing a partial rotative movement of the head about the handle under influence of the draft movement of the razor over the operator's face.

A further object of the invention is to provide an automatically adjustable razor head which will automatically reverse its position when operating upon opposite sides of the operator's face.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for varying the draft resistance to the movement of the razor head throughout the length thereof, thereby automatically effecting a differential adjustment of the opposite ends of the cutting blade.

A further, and none the less important object of the invention, is to provide finger tip control means for regulating the automatic adjustment of the blade and if desired, augmenting such adjustment by finger efiort.

A further object of the invention is to provide reverse control means for the razor head when operating upon opposite sides of ones face, whereby the razor will be equally as effective upon one side as upon the other.

A further object of the invention is to provide a reversely corrugated clamp plate or head.

A further object is to provide an improved form of guard plate having inclined marginal teeth or projections, the teeth or projections of opposite edges of which are inclined in reverse directions.

With the above primary and other incidental objects in view, as will more fully appear in the specification, the invention consists of the features of construction, the parts and combinations thereof, and the mode of operation, or their equivalents, as hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein is showed the preferred but obviously not necessarily the only embodiment of the invention, Fig. l is a perspective view of a safety razor, embodying the present invention and illustrating the manner of grasping the razor to control the adjustment of the freely rotatable head by contact of the operator's finger upon the terminal knob or extension on the handle. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the assembled razor. Fig. 3

is a perspective disassembled view of the several parts. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the cap or clamp plate. Fig. 5 is a similar view of a modified form of the corrugated cap or clamp plate. Fig. 8 is a detail view of the guard plate. Fig. '7 is a detail disassembled view of .the handle. Fig. 8 is a disassembled side view of the cap and guard plate illustrating the preferred blade locating means. Fig. 9 is a plan view of the guard plate embodying the preferred locating studs.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing, wherein for illustrative purposes there has been shown a Gillette type razor, although the present invention is not limited to such specific construction, I is the usual cap or clamp plate of slightly convex form, having projecting from its under side a centrally disposed screw threaded stud 2, and, in the usual construction, a longitudinally disposed medial rib I, for locating the cutting blade relative thereto. However, in lieu of the customary rib on the cap I, there is preferably employed the construction shown in detail in Figs. 8 and 9 and hereafter described. The wafer type cutting blade 4 is interposed between the cap or clamp plate I and a guard plate I, also of convex form. The guard plate 5 and interposed cutting blade I are slotted or otherwise apertured to agree with the locating means whether it be the rib 3 or other suitable projections. The screw threaded stud 2, extending through the interposed cutting blade 4 and the guard plate 5 is engaged within the screw threaded extremity 6 of the handle shaft. As thus far described, the device comprises a typical form of safety razor which broadly forms no part of the present invention.

In order that the head of the razor may be free to rotate about the axis of the handle, the handle includes a relatively rotatable sleeve I, journaled at one end upon a shoulder or annular rabbet 8 upon the terminal portion 6 of the handle, and likewise journaled at its opposite end upon a corresponding shoulder or annular rabbet 9 upon a terminal knob II. A shaft or stem II, fixedly secured to the terminal 8 of the handle shaft, extends axially through the revoluble sleeve 1 and is screw threaded at its extremity for engagement of the terminal knob III. The terminal knob I I, when tightly screwed upon the stem II, becomes in effect a unitary part of the stem II and the terminal 8 which has screw threaded connection with the stem 2 of the cap or clamp plate I. The grip portion I of the handle is, however, loose upon the remaining portions which may freely rotate therein in unison with rotary adjustment of the head while the grip portion I is grasped in the operator's hand.

It will be understood that when assembled for use, the terminal portion 6 of the handle, the shaft II', and the knob III, are fixedly secured to the head of the razor by the screw threaded engagement of the portion 8 with the stem 2 which serves to clamp the blade I under tension between the cap I and guard plate I.

In order to afford resistance to movement of the razor head over the face with the cutting blade at right angles to the line of draft and to cause the head to automatically rotate within the grasped grip portion I until the blade assumes a line of least resistance, the outer face of the cap I is corrugated. The corrugations I2, of the cap I, are arranged in two series contiguous to the opposite edges of the cap or clamp plate I and disposed in reversed angular relation.

The corrugated areas may be of equal width, as illustrated in Fig. 5, or such series of corrugations may be of tapering contour, the corrugated areas being wider at one end than at the other, as is illustrated in Fig. 4. By the latter means the frictional resistance to movement of the cap or head I over the face varies at different points throughout the length of the head I, and due to such variation of resistance the head is turned to an inclined position relative to the line of draft. The same result is achieved in the construction illustrated in Fig. 5 wherein the resistance to the movement of the cap or head in a direction coincident with the inclination of the corrugations or ribs II will be less than in a direction transverse to such ribs and hence the tendency will exist for the head to automatically adjust itself about the axis of the handle to present the ribs I2 in parallel relation with the line of draft and hence in the line of least resistance.

The corrugations I2 are preferably, though not necessarily, rounded at their bottoms and also at their tops although other forms are effective for the purpose.

The guard plate 5, in the present instance. is also modified to agree with the directional corrugations of the cap or clamp plate I. It is customary to provide marginal spaced teeth or projections I3 upon the guard plate 5. In the present instance, these spaced projections or teeth II are inclined in reverse directions at the opposite edges of the guard plate with their degree of inclination substantially equal to that of the corrugations I2. These inclined teeth or projections are therefore aligned with the direction of draft movement of the head.

When in use, with the operator grasping the revoluble grip portion I and the head and stem free to rotate relative thereto, the head will automatically change its inclination to agree with the varying contour of the operators face, over which it is drawn, always assuming, however, an inclined relation to the line of draft so that it affords a draw out or shearing action. However, to control and retard this action, and, if desired, to hold the head in its adjusted position after it has automatically assumed proper inclined relation, the operator may lightly rest his finger upon the knob I0, and by slight pressure can yieldingly resist the automatic adjustment of the head, and if necessary or desirable, by slight pressure thereon, can effect an oscillatory or rotary adjustment independently of the influence of the corrugations I2. It has been found that the freedom of movement of the revoluble head of the razor not only facilitates the shaving operation and enables it to be accomplished comfortably and efficiently, but it also obviates tendency to cut oneself, which is usually the result of drawing the razor in a direction in which it should not be drawn or by engaging the face with the corner of the cutting blade which is automatically avoided in the present instance by the rotation of the head and cannot be effected except for forcing the razor contrary to its normal tendency.

In lieu of the customary rib extending longitudinally of the cap or clamp plate, the preferred locating means comprises two relatively spaced studs I4 projecting from the top of .the guard plate 5. These studs are located coincident with the ends of the medial slot in the cutting blade 4 and project into correspondingly spaced holes IS in the under side of the cap or clamp plate I.

One of the studs I4 is preferably undercut or stud.

From the above description it will be apparent that there is thus provided a device of the character described possessing the particular features of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but which obviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportions, detail construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the principle involved or sacrificing any of its advantages.

While in order to comply with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or lessspecific as to structural features, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown, but that the means and construction herein disclosed comprise the preferred form of several modes of putting the invention into effect, and the invention is there fore claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the anpended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A safety razor including a blade carrying head and a handle therefor, upon which the head is pivotally mounted for free rotary motion substantially in the plane of the head and about the axis of the'handle.

2. A safety razor including a blade carrying head, a shaft, a coupling member secured at one end of the shaft for engagement with the blade carrying head, a knob carried by the opposite end of the shaft, a tubular grip member rotatably mounted upon said shaft intermediate said coupling unit and said knob, and means affording variation of frictional resistance throughout the length of "the head to movement over the face of the operator wherebyone end of the head will be retarded in its movement relative to the opposite end thereby causing the head and coupling unit to have a relative movement with respect to said tubular grip member.

3. A safety razor including a blade carrying head having recesses formed therein and inclined to the longitudinal center line thereof, a handle portion therefor upon which the head is mounted for relative rotary motion about the axis of the handle, and a plurality of deflecting portions formed on said head intermediate said recesses for effecting automatic rotary adjustment of said head with respect to said handle, in response to frictional variations throughout the length of the head to movement over the face of the operator.

4. A safety razor including a blade carrying head, a handle portion therefor upon which the head is mounted for relative rotary motion, and

inclined corrugations upon the head'tending to align themselves with the direction of movement over the face of the operator and thereby automatically rotate the head about the axis of the handle to an inclined position relative to such direction of movement.

5. A safety razor including a blade carrying head, a handle portion therefor upon which the head is revolubly mounted for free rotary motion about the axis'of said handle, and means upon the handle for controlling the independent rotary motion of the head, said means being arranged for a little finger tip control.

6. In a safety razor, a blade carrying head, a handle therefor including a relatively revoluble grip portion and a stationary terminal portion fixedly connected with the head portion, said terminal portion being arranged for a little finger tip control.

'7. In a safety razor, a rotary blade carrying head portion, and a handle therefor including a freely revoluble grip portion and stationary ,mounting portions for the grip.

8. A handle for a safety rabor including a shaft, a screw threaded socket at one end of the shaft, a knob secured to the opposite end of the shaft and a revoluble sleeve forming a grip portion freelyrotatable about the shaft intermediate the socket and knob.

9. A handle for a safety razor, including a shaft, a coupling member secured at one end of the shaft for engagement with a blade carrying head, a knob carried at the opposite end of the shaft, annular bearing rabbets on the adjacent sides of said coupling member and knob. and a tubular portion having diagonal corrugations of progres sively varying length disposed in reversely inclined series adjacent to opposite margins of the cap.

11. A safety razor including a corrugated cap portion having two converging series of corrugations.

12. A handle for a safety razor including a shaft and coupling member secured at one end of the shaft for engagement with a blade carrying head, a knob carried at the opposite end of the shaft and a tubular member rotatably mountedupon said shaft intermediate said couplingmember and said knob.

13. In a safety razor, a handle, a blade-carrying holder carried by and readily movable with respect to said handle about a pivot extending transversely to the longitudinal center line of the holder, said holder being freely movable to readily align itself longitudinally with the body of a user when brought intocontact therewith to provide a uniform distribution of pressure throughout the entire cutting edge of theblade upon said body;

, 14. A safety-razor including a blade-carrying head, a handle portion therefor upon which the head is mountedfor relative rotary motion about an axis extending transversely to thelongitudinal center line of said head, and inclined corrugations upon the head tending to align themselves with the direction of movement of the razor over the face of the operator and thereby automatically rotate the head about said axis to an inclined position relative to such direction of movement.

15. In a safety-razor, a handle, a blade-carrying head carried by said handle on a pivot having an axis extending transversely to the longitudinal center line of the head, said head being movable about the axis of said pivot for aligning the head and blade carried thereby longitudinally with respect to the body of the user when brought into contact therewith and to provide. a substantially uniform distribution of pressure throughout the entire cutting edgeof the blade upon said body.

CHARLES L. BUELL. 

